Ex-UFC champion Benson Henderson wins boxing debut, hands Nate Diaz teammate Chris Avila his first loss
Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson went 10 rounds against two different opponents in his pro boxing debut on Saturday night in Newcastle, England.
After dominating the MMA scene for more than a decade, ‘Smooth’ traded in his four-ounce gloves for a pair of 10-ouncers as the Colorado Springs native looked to take home two wins and become the Pro Stake Tournament champion at the MF & DAZN: X Series 18 event on Saturday.
First up was a scrap with Chris Avila, an undefeated boxer best known for his affiliation with Stockton’s own Nate Diaz.
Avila came out strong, taking the center of the ring and pressuring Henderson into the corner, but it was ‘Smooth’ who appeared to have the upper hand early, landing some big shots and more than holding his own against the more experienced boxer. Henderson ramped up the aggressiveness in the second and seemingly took the first two rounds, though his striking began to look a bit sloppy as the fight grew longer.
Henderson’s suffocating style continued in the third with him walking down Avila, showing the former MMA fight zero respect. Avila offered some nice work to the body of Henderson, but the fight slowly began to slip away from the Stockton native. It was more of the same in the fourth and fifth rounds with ‘Smooth’ dominating the action and leaving no room for Avila to catch his breath and look for the knockout shot he desperately needed.
By the time the final bell sounded, it was clear that Henderson would see his hand raised, handing Avila the first loss of his boxing career.
Official Result: Benson Henderson def. Chris Avila via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
With the win, ‘Smooth’ moved on to a clash with Idris Virgo. ‘The Bodybreaker’ punched his ticket to the Pro Stake Tournament finals earlier in the evening with a big first-round KO against Mohammed Faisal.
Benson Henderson comes up short in pro stake tournament final
Returning to the ring a few hours later for their tournament final, Virgo flew out of his corner and immediately looked to land a booming right hand against the former UFC champion. Virgo’s pressure kept ‘Smooth’ backpedaling early, but was unable to land the knockout blow he was desperately looking for.
The second and third rounds saw both fighters continue to slug it out. Virgo landed the more impactful strikes while Henderson attempted to trap his opponent against the rope, emulating a game plan he perfectly executed multiple times throughout his mixed martial arts career. That decision proved successful, particularly in the fifth round where Virgo’s offense was largely stifled by the unending pressure of Henderson.
With 10 seconds left to go, Virgo and Henderson decided to slug it out, but neither was able to put the other away, sending us to the scorecards.
Official Result: Idris Virgo def. Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (49-47, 48-47, 48-46)
